Writing fifty novels can make you nostalgic. As I’m working
on the very last chapters of the book that will mark the fiftieth of my career,
I find myself looking back at the stories I’ve written and wondering… Do I have
a favorite “type” of hero?
As I peruse the titles displayed so proudly on the bookshelf
in my office I realize that in fact, I have 3 favorite types.
1.
The tough
as nails, alpha man: In my stories this sort of hero is often a cop or
private detective. His role in the story is usually to protect the heroine, or
so he thinks. The truth is that he’s the one who is vulnerable—or at least, his
heart is. Here is my all my time favorite alpha hero:
In Same Place, Same Time, Detective Morgan Forester is a tough,
brave cop whose wife divorced him when she couldn’t deal with the death of
their son. In this story his wife is being targeted by a murderer and he needs
to protect her. He knows he can keep her safe, but his own heart will be on the
line…because he still loves her.
2.
The Honorable Cowboy: Everyone knows cowboys
live by a code and that’s what I love about them. They are men who are short on
words and big on action. I’ve written about so many cowboys, because I really
do love them, so it’s hard to choose a favorite. But I do have a soft spot in
my heart for Colton Hart.
He’s the black sheep of his family, and oh how he loves to live up to his
reputation…until he meets a woman who makes him want to be a better man.
3.
My third favorite type of hero is the
prototypical “Dad Next Door” and my favorite of these is the guy who belongs to
the book with that exact name. Gavin
Gray has known terrible tragedy in his life. Now all he focuses on is
making his little daughter happy. But what he thinks his little girl needs
isn’t quite right, as you’ll find in this, what I consider one of my most
heartfelt stories about a dad.
4.
Okay, I know I said I had three main types of
heroes, but let me quickly mention a fourth—the anti-hero. This guy is so
cynical he’s sort of checked out of life. But at his core, he is still an
honorable man, even though he won’t admit it.
Dougal Lachlan, the principal character in
my Twisted Cedar Mysteries certainly fits this bill. He has a huge
chip on his shoulder, related to his family history and his father who went to
jail for murder. Overcoming this past is a big part of what this trilogy is
about.
Thanks for indulging my trip down memory
lane. If you’re still with me, I want to mention a new collection of novels
whose heroes happen to make terrific fathers. In honor of dads everywhere this Father’s Day Collection of 5 stories by 5 different authors
will be available for the price of 1 for
June only.
So you’ve heard about me, and my favorite
heroes. Now I want to hear from you! Tell me your favorite hero and which of
the above books you’d most like to receive in ebook form. A winner will be
chosen at random in about 1 week, so check back here to see if your name was
chosen!
Happy June and Happy Father’s Day to all
the dads out there!
